8,(9)-dehydro-6-thiaestrone-3-methyl ether



United States Patent 3,417,100 8 ,(9)-DEHYDRO-6-THIAESTRONE-3 -METHY L ETHER Henderikus 0. Huisman, Amstelveen, Johannes Gerardus Westra, Amsterdam-Osdorp, Willem Nico Speck'amp, Amstelveen, and Upendra K. Pandit, Amsterdam, Netherlands (all Laboratory for Organic Chemistry University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 129, Amsterdam, Netherlands No Drawing. Filed Apr. 29, 1966, Ser. No. 546,167

2 Claims. (Cl. 260-327) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Disclosed is the preparation of dehydro-6-thiaestrone- 3-methy1 ethers useful as antifertility agents by reaction of 7-methoxythiachroman-4-one with a vinyl magnesium halide, reaction of the resulting 4-vinyl-4hydroxy compound with Z-methyl-1,3-cyclopentadione and cyclization of the product obtained thereby.

This invention relates to certain novel 6-thiasteroids of value as antifertility agents and, more particularly, to d,l 8,(9)dehydro-6-thiaestrone methyl ether-3 and d,1-3- methoxy-8-dehydro-6-thiaestradiol.

There are thus provided, according to the present invention, the novel compounds d,l-8,(9)-dehydro-6-thiaestrone methyl ether-3 and d,l-3-methoxy-8-dehydro-6- thiaestradiol; the preferred embodiments of this invention are the 14a-isomers of these two compounds.

As intermediates for use in the preparation of the products of the present invention there are also provided, according to the present invention, the compounds having the formulae There is further provided, according to the present invention, the procedures for the preparation of the compounds of the present invention which comprise the following:

(a) The process of producing d,l-8,(9)-dehydro-6-thiaestrone methyl ether-3 which comprises catalytically hydrogenating, most advantageously with palladium on cal- 3,417,100 Patented Dec. 17, 1968 cium carbonate in tetrahydrofuran, the compound having the formula (b) The process of producing d,l-8,(9)-dehydro-6-thiaestrone methyl ether-3 which comprises oxidizing, most advantageously with aluminum isopropylate in cyclohexanone, d,l-8,(9)-dehydro-6-thiaestrone methyl ether-3,

(c) The process of producing the compound of the formula I JV c1130-@ which comprises cyclizing, most advantageously by heating -a solution thereof in an inert solvent in the presence of a strong acid such as p-toluenesulfonic acid, a compound of the formula and (d) The process of producing the compound of the formula which comprises heating a mixture of 4-hydroxy-4-ethynyl-7-methoXy-triachromane and Z-methyl-cyclopentane- 1,3-dione, preferably to reflux temperatures in an organic solvent arranged to remove the water formed in the condensation reaction and most advantageously in the presence of a catalytic amount of a solvent-soluble, strong base such as trimethylbenzylammonium hydroxide,

The compounds of this invention are valuable pharmaceutical agents. They possess antifertility activity and are orally active antifertility agents in mammals and are of particular interest by virtue of their lack of estrogenic and water. After drying over magnesium sulfate the solvent was evaporated in vacuo yielding 30 g. of II as an oil which was not purified further.

IR 3500 crnf (on UV 7. 332? 223 257 activity. max.

The antifertility tests of the compounds of the present 10000 and 288 n111- invention were carried out on mice. The compounds were I h th 1 administered orally to adult female mice for six days. A (b) 2 z ggggg fgigiigi g fii y 1 single dose was administered three days before mating and single doses were administered daily for five days during Qf H In of y Xylene Were fldfied t0 a mating. The mice were sacrificed on the eleventh day folmlXtuTe 0f of y y p :f e lowing mating and their uteri examined for implantation 4 Of a tl'lmethylbenlylammonlum hydroXlde (F sites. The absence of implantation sites in the uteri indisollltloll 111 m t l) and the eollltlon cated that pregnancy was completely inhibited. When, for fluXed vlgorellsly Wlth stllTlIlg 2 hours (9 bath example, the preferred compound of the present inven- 15 Refature The Water formed durlng the reaction, d,l-8,(9)-dehydro-6-thiaestrone methyl ether-3, was tle'fl was removed y means Of a Dean-Stark Separatoradministered orally at doses as low as 1.0 mgm./kg. per The Fooled sellltion was extracted Wlth a potasslurp yday, no implantation sites were observed in any of the dreXlde SOIUUPH and e After eoneel'ltfatlqg In mice tested, hence pregnancy was completely inhibited in Yaeuo the fesldlle Was crystallized from methanol, y ea h of th i 20 mg 20 g. of crystalline III; M.P. 9496.

The following examples will serve to illustrate the pres- KB: EtOH ent invention but it is not limited thereto. The Reaction 1 ggg giig l UV 228 Scheme which follows presents the structural formulae and the identification by Roman numerals of the com- NMR (CDCl 6 singlet 1.1 (C -CH and triplet 5.5 pounds of the examples. All temperatures are given in 555 (C =H) p.p.m. degrees Centigrade. The compound gave a correct elementary analysis.

I I (I) I Hac I OH l gfla CHMgBr I i I II III 0 o o 12 l I MO 17 16 1 I2 I 10 14 N g 2 l r 9 m H r\ H HCO \Di HCO l +HCO i 3 3 4 5 (SS 3 \/\S/ 3 IV V VI OH OH )--H :-H

f1 I I I II I 3 O VII VIII EXAMPLE 1 EXAMPLE 2 (a) 4-hydroxy-4-ethynyl-7-methoxy-thiachromane (II) d,1 8 (9) dehydro 6 thiaestrone A solution of 28 g. of 7-methoxy-thiachromanone-4 65 methyl ether-3 (prepared according to See-Lee Chu et al., Chem. Abst. A solution of 20 g. of III and 1.2 g. of p-toluene sul- 2 g 5 tetrahydrifiuran a fonic acid in 500 ml. of benzene was refluxed for 10minet er was a e Wlt surfing to vmy magnesmm ,roml utes by immersing in an oil bath carefully maintained at f t from 12 of magnesium and 60 of vmylbm' 110. After cooling the mixture was extracted with a solum of tetrahydrofuran at 10' After the 7 tion of saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate and dried addition was completed, the mixture was stirred for a pe- Over magnesium sulfate Evaporation of the solvent nod of two hours, during which time it was allowed to yielded 18 g of an ()1-1 which consisted largel of the attain room temperature. After refluxing for one hour it tone IV y was poured out into a mixture of 300 g. of ice and 50 g. of ammonium chloride. The organic layer was separated 75 IR 3 59 1735 -1 0:0 N 01 5L1 singleb and washed with a saturated ammonium chloride soluti n (C CH and 5.8 triplet (C =H) p.p.m.

3 g. of IV in 20 ml. of tetrahydrofuran was hydrogenated over 6 g. of palladium on calcium carbonate (2%) in 30 ml. of tetrahydrofuran. After the uptake of the calculated amount of hydrogen (224 ml.) the catalyst was filtered and washed thoroughly with tetrahydrofuran. The filtrate was concentrated and after treatment of the residue with methanol 0.9 g. of crystalline V, M.P. 151- 154, were obtained. The Mix-isomer showed the following spectral characteristics:

IR 2:; 1735 crnr ((3 x533? 213 (18000), 256 (29000) and 300 (6000) nm; NMR (CD01 6 singlet 0.9 (C13"CH3) P-P-IIL The compound gave a correct elementary analysis and was an effective antifertility agent in the test described above at dosages as low as 1.0 mgm./ kg.

After evaporation of the mother liquor an oil was obtained which according to its NMR spectrum mainly consisted of the 14fl-isomer (VI). It showed the following spectral characteristics:

IR 5,59 1735 emf 0:0 UV x313? 216 (16000), 260 (25500) and 305 (5500) nm; NMR (CDCI 6 singlet EXAMPLE 3 d, l-3 methoxy-8,14-bisdehydro-6-thiaestradiol (VII) To a solution of 15 g. of crude IV in 500ml. of ethanol and 40 ml. of water 12 g. sodium borohydride was added. After stirring overnight at room temperature the flask was cooled in ice and acetic acid was added dropwise until pH= (ca. 40 ml.). After concentrating the solution in vacuo and adding a mixture of 500 ml. of water and 200 ml. of ether, the organic layer was extracted with saturated sodium bicarbonate solution and water. Dnying over magnesium sulfate and evaporating the solvent afforded an oil which was crystallized from toluene. Yield 7 g.; M.P. 94-101".

IR ii; 3450 cm. (OH); UV IP32? 225 (14800), 276 (23000) and 323 (13700) nm; NMR (CD01 5 1.0 singlet (C13- and (C15: 13.13.111- The compound gave a correct elementary analysis.

EXAMPLE 4 d,1-3-methoxy-8-dehydro-6-thiaestradiol (VIII) 7 g. of VII were hydrogenated over 14 g. of palladium on calcium carbonate (2%) in 100 ml. of tetrahydrofuran. Working up yielded an oil which on crystallization from methanol gave 5.8 g. of VIII, M.P. 101107.

IR v5. .1, 3450 em: (OH); UV A522. 214 (13600), 255 (21400) and 303 (4600) nm; NMR (CD01 6 singlet 0.8 (C13 3) P-P- The compound gave a correct elementary analysis. In the test described above this compound was found to be an effective antifertility agent at an oral dosage of 50 mgm./ kg.

6 EXAMPLE 5 d,l-8,(9)del1ydro-6-thiaestrone methyl ether-3 (V) A mixture of 5.8 g. of VIII, 300 ml. of dry toluene, 6.6 g. of aluminum isopropylate and 12 ml. of cyclohexanone was refluxed for two hours, while toluene was added at the same rate as it was removed by distillation. The solution was extracted with potassium hydroxide solution (5%) and water and finally dried over magnesium sulfate. Removal of the solvent yielded an oil which upon crystallization from methanol yielded 3.1 g. of V; M.P. 151-154. The compound was in every respect identical with that described in Example 2.

EXAMPLE 6 Compound IV is prepared in one reaction step from II, by reacting equimolar amounts of II and 2-methyl-cyclopentane-1,3-dione in a mixture of toluene and acetic acid (2:1) during a short time at a temperature of 110115 (oil bath temperature). The yield of pure product is -70%.

While in the foregoing specification various embodiments of this invention have been set forth in specific detail and elaborated for the purpose of illustration, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention is susceptible to other embodiments and that many of the details can be varied widely without departing from the basic concept and the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim: 1. The compound of claim 1 having the formula 2. The Mot-isomer of the compound of claim 1.

References Cited Lowy et al.: An Introduction to Organic Chemistry, John Wiley and Sons, New York (1945), p. 213.

Burger: Medicinal Chemistry, Interscience, New York (1960), p. 77.

Smith et al.: Experientia, vol. 20 (1964), p. 318 and 419.

JAMES A. PATTEN, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 

